Lord Bailey Kroshbon
Bailey Gerard Kroshbon (19 August 1727) is a member of the House of Kroshbon, who has served as Minister of Defense on the Cabinet of Lord Azreel Wolfe. Bailey is the only son of Lord Jon Kroshbon, cousin of the King and former Prime Minister. Bailey has accumulated vast experience within the Swiss Military since enlisting as an officer at the age of 16, and would eventually become Director of War, responsible for undertaking multiple reforms and modernization campaigns of the Swiss Armed Forces alongside Lord Azreel, then Minister of Defense. After the surprise resignation of Lord Wolfe as Prime Minister, the King declared a Special Election. Bailey defeated campaign favourite, Sir Harold Kohleschmied in the General Election by a margin of 64% versus Harold's 36%. He was sworn in as Prime Minister in the late evening of the 11th of August, where he formulated his Cabinet alongside the King. His ascension as Prime Minister marked only the second break in the Swiss People's Party's majority over the government. Early Life Bailey Kroshbon was born the only child of Lord Jon Kroshbon, an influential member of the Royal House of Kroshbon, and a cousin of Lord Tyler Kroshbon. Jon Kroshbon served his cousin as an important General in the Kroshbon Conquest of Switzerland, which inspired a militaristic upbringing in Bailey from an early age. Bailey's father kept him close proximity to the barracks of the Swiss armies, hoping to nurture him into a natural born soldier and leader. It paid off, and by the age of 14, Bailey would be seen as one of the most prominent of future military leaders. He enlisted with the Swiss Royal Army at the age of 16 in 1743, where he served under the campaign of Sir Blau Wolfe during the Swiss Invasion of Wurttemburg, where he saw conflict at the Battle of Ravensburg, in which the Wurttemburgian army was completely anihilated, taking 20,000 casualties amongst their ranks to the Swiss' mere 6,700 casualties. Bailey accompanied the Swiss troops further as they marched on Stuttgart and lay seige to it. When the Duke Carl Eugene finally consented to surrender, Lord Jon was instated as temporary Military Governor of Stuttgart, and Bailey would spend the next two years continuing his studies at Kroshbon Pointe Military Academy. After his graduation in 1745, Bailey took an extended leave of absence from the military to complete his full studies at the esteemed University of Zurich, where he graduated in 1750, and entered public life. Early Career Military Reform Bailey's first task was as Commissioner of the Venetian Royal Fleet, which was the second-largest Swiss fleet, and Switzerland's most important province. He served in this capacity for several months, throughout the politically charged climate of the June Crisis, and into the late year, where he eventually attained the status of Governor of Venice by the King. His time in Venice was rather uneventful, when compared to the happenings of Europe as a whole, but he was able to maintain the slight unrest the city felt as the Swiss-Spanish diplomatic incident unfolded. In December 1750, when Lord Gustav Dreadre fled the Kingdom, bolstering Prince Ryan Kroshbon to Head of Government, Bailey was recalled back to Berne, where he was appointed as the Field Commander of the Swiss Royal Army. Relatively young to occupy this office, he surprised many in the political sphere when he enacted several early reforms, to help modernize and re-train the Army, into a more professional and concise unit. He kept up this work for a few months, serving faithfully under the Minister of Defense, Lord Azreel Wolfe. By late February, a new system was enacted by the Prince's order, delegating a junior minister position to each Ministry, to be known as a Director. Bailey became Lord Azreel's first choice for Director of Defense, and he took office in early March. Only two months after his elevation to Directorship, Lord Azreel spearheaded the 29th of April Coup, ousting Prince Ryan as Prime Minister, and assuming the office himself. He remained the Minister of Defense in name, however chose to begin delegating more military policy options to Bailey. Azreel and Bailey continued a program Prince Ryan had instated to completely overhaul and modernize the Swiss Military, and bring it up to par with that of the Spanish Empire, which had been in decline for some months. With the goal set to overtake all nations of Europe in military efficiency, Bailey began a rigorous overhaul of the Army and Navy. Knowing that Switzerland's greatest hinderance was the amount of soldiers that could be fielded, as opposed to the British or Spanish or Austrians, Bailey advanced on a concept that these massive Empires have spread themselves out too far. With a smaller land mass, Switzerland would be able to effectively centralize it's military much easier than the other European powers, giving it an edge in shock combat. Taking advantage of this, Bailey formed the Vanguard elements of the Army into very elite shock troops, with the understanding that these men would be able to quickly overtake the enemy, while regular infantry moved into place. Training elements from the Alpen Guard were applied to these soldiers, who now offered a more medium level force, as opposed to the basic infantry and the highly elite Alpen Guard. Elections Elated by Bailey's success with the military, Lord Azreel appointed him as Minister of Defense in June of 1751, finally formalizing Bailey's role as commander of the Swiss Military. His duties as a Minister however, would be short-lasting. Only a month later, in July of 1751, Azreel Wolfe submitted his resignation to the King, thrusting Switzerland into a very heavy period of unrest. This was the second Prime Minister to leave office in the span of a year and there were no solid leaders with vast government experience left, leaving the King no choice but to declare a Special Election. Bailey decided to run on the ticket of the Liberal Party, which had formerly been a small third-party that was thrusted into minority party status after the disbandment of the Swiss Progressives Party. His opponent in the race was Sir Harold Kohleschmied, a career politician who had governed Zurich on behalf of his elder brother during his years away as Prime Minister. Harold was from the beginning seen as the favourite of the election, due to his older age, longer experience, and clear campaign plan. Kohleschmied's reputation had suffered however, as fear of the Ministry of Law increased throughout the Kingdom, and allegations of corruption widespread. Bailey ended up coming second in the Primary Elections, moving him forward to the General Election alongside Sir Kohleschmied. He ended this election in first place, taking home 64% of the vote, to Harold's 36%. He was immediately sworn in by the King, and made his nominations for his Cabinet to the King, who made all appointments on the same day of his Election. Premiership Lord Kroshbon entered office with the highest approval ratings seen in any Prime Minister since Lord Kohleschmied. His policy plan was clear: regulate and reform all the issues that the shaky governance over the past year had brought. At the same time, the King returned from now almost a year of nigh isolation, and resumed his authority over day-to-day affairs from the Prime Minister. This left Bailey's most essential task as Prime Minister to maintain oversight over the government, and ensure it was polished and ran smooth. He appointed his old friend at University collegue Sir Alexander Kohleschmied as Minister of Defense, giving him authority over coordination of the military forces, while appointing Princess Rose Kroshbon as his Minister of State, Lord Benjamin Wolfe as Minister of Law, and Sir Gellert Kohleschmied as Minister of Home. A second task he was given by the King early in his tenure was the appointment of a more rounded and enlarged Privy Council, able to faithfully serve the Cabinet as advisors of the realm. Bailey did not find the Premiership to be a fulfilling post, and within a few months after ascending to Prime Minister, he would delegate his tasks out mostly to then Princess Royal, Princess Rose Kroshbon, as well as his two senior Ministers, Sir Alexander Kohleschmied and Lord Benjamin Wolfe. He travelled to Greece, taking up residence in Athens and intending to assume personal command over the Kingdom's eastern armies, as well as govern Greece in the stead of his cousin. His animosity towards leadership would cost the Liberal Party, which Bailey had championed into overtaking the much more prominent Swiss People's Party, and would result in low approval ratings towards his government. It would also shape the vaccum that allowed for the heated election that winter between the SPP and Lord Benjamin Wolfe's Swiss Unity Party. The ineptness and disappointment of Bailey Kroshbon's administration would end the notion that good soldiers make good politicians. His overall legacy was determined through his administrative overhauls and astute command over the Swiss military during his time as Director and later Minister, while also recognizing his inability to act as a true Prime Minister or politican. After five months as Prime Minister, Bailey would step down on the 22nd of December, ceding power to Lord Benjamin Wolfe, who defeated Sir Alexander Kohleschmied in the Fourth Annual Swiss Elections. His premiership would later be dubbed one of the Year of the Three Premiers, recognizing the three Prime Ministers of Switzerland in that year; Prince Ryan Kroshbon, Lord Azreel Wolfe, and Bailey. Later Life Following the end of his tenure as Prime Minister, Bailey would move to Greece alongside his uncle, Lord Wolf Kroshbon. After his uncle was made Minister of Interior in Austria, and Prince Ryan Kroshbon became the new Viceroy of Greece, Bailey departed Athens and travelled back to Zurich where he resettled. By 1755, Bailey had decided to embark on a journey across the world, and departed for Peking, where he would spend the next five years learning the customs and cultures of the Qing dynasty. Category:Switzerland Category:People